Songs of a fallen SOLDIER
by Li the Twilight Knight
Summary: A twoshot songfic of Zack and Cloud's escape from Nibelheim. Rated for character death and minor cursing.
1. Part 1: It's My Life

Author's Note 

Li: Hi, guys! I'm back! 

Voice of Reason: Someone, save us all. 

Li: Shut up! Okay. This is my first attempt at a true story for the FFVII section. This is a two-shot songfic of Zack and Cloud's escape from Nibelheim. This was written _way_ before I saw Last Order, so don't have a fit if some things are off. 

Roy: Li does not own FFVII or any of the awesome Bon Jovi songs used here. She is merely an obsessive fan, awaiting Advent Children... 

Li: Thanks, Roy. All right, here goes... 

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Zack sat silently in the cold cell in the basement of the Nibelheim Mansion. After five damn years of being tortured and experimented on, they had finally gotten him out of that awful Mako tube and locked him in a cell.

_This ain't a song for the broken-hearted_

_No silent prayer for the faith-departed_

Zack was ticked. No, that was the understatement of the year. Zack was full of blind fury. How dare Hojo think he could use them for an experiment! How dare he keep them locked up in this godforsaken mansion! He and Cloud were SOLDIERs. Well, he was at least, and Cloud was under his protection. "Hojo has no right to do this to us!"

_I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd_

_You're gonna hear my voice_

_When I shout it out loud_

Zack reached a decision. He was getting out of here, and he was taking Cloud with him. Anything was better than this half-life, trapped in Hojo's web. They weren't truly living, and the longer they stayed here, the higher the chances of their deaths climbed. Zack got up, ramming his shoulder into the door. It shouldn't have budged, but Zack had Mako enhancement, and Hojo obviously hadn't bothered to reinforce the doors. He slammed into it again, and the hinges gave way.

_It's my life_

_It's now or never_

_I ain't gonna live forever_

_I just want to live while I'm alive_

_(It's my life) _

He ran down the hall, before coming to another cell. The guards weren't there, for whatever damn reason they had. But they had left the key on it's peg on the wall. They weren't expecting Zack to break out. Zack seized the key and opened the cell door.

His blonde friend was lying on the cot inside, tossing and turning with fever. Zack groaned. Of course. Mako poisoning. He had received mild Mako treatment upon admittance to SOLDIER, but Cloud had never had such treatment, and his body was reacting negatively. Zack moved to his friend's side, placing a cool hand on his burning forehead. Cloud flinched away from his touch, weakly trying to move away.

"No. No more tests... please..." Cloud whimpered, not opening his eyes. Zack wanted to cry. Five years of torture had reduced his stubborn friend to this. He put his hand back, saying gently, "Cloud... C'mon, Spike, it's me. Zack."

Cloud opened one eye. "Zack? What are you...?"

"I'm your knight in shining armor, here to save you."

"But, that's fairy tales. I'm not a princess..." Zack sighed. Even ill, Cloud still had no trouble being sarcastic.

"Fine. SOLDIER in dingy uniform, then. Come on, we're getting out of here." Zack reached over and seized Cloud's arm, dragging him from the bed. Cloud leaned on him, weakened by the Mako sickness. Zack grinned as he hefted Cloud onto his back. "Hold on, Spike. I've always been one to do things my own way."

_My heart is like an open highway_

_Like Frankie said_

_I did it my way_

_I just wanna live while I'm alive_

_It's my life_

Zack carried Cloud down many hallways. Cloud remained limp against his back, head resting on Zack's shoulder. Zack felt sorry for his friend, but concentrated on getting out alive. He had gotten by so many Shin-Ra employees, but it would get worse as they got near the exit. But he would never give up.

_This is for the ones who stood their ground_

_For Tommy and Gina who never backed down_

_Tomorrow's getting harder make no mistake_

_Luck ain't even lucky_

_Got to make your own breaks_

Miles and miles from Nibelheim, they finally managed to hitchhike in a truck, to get them passage to Midgar. Zack's old girlfriend's house was there. They could start over, nurse Cloud back to health, start a new life...

It was in the back of this truck that Zack was now lounging. Cloud was leaning against him, half-asleep.

"So, what will you do when we get to Midgar, Spike?" Zack asked his friend. "Spike?" Cloud had fallen asleep, curled up in his lap. Zack smiled, running a hand through the soft, gold spikes. At least his fever had broken. Rest was the best thing for him, now. "That's right, chocobo-head. Just sleep now. We'll get to Midgar and start over..." Zack wasn't sure, but he could have sworn Cloud smiled in his sleep.

_It's my life_

_And it's now or never_

_I ain't gonna live forever_

_I just want to live while I'm alive_

_(It's my life)_

_My heart is like an open highway_

_Like Frankie said_

_I did it my way_

_I just want to live while I'm alive_

_Cause it's my life_

Damn Shin-Ra. Damn them and all their stupid minions. Zack stared at the advancing wave of SOLDIERs. "Spike, get behind me. You're sick."

_Better stand tall when they're calling you out_

_Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down_

"I can help!"

"Now, Cloud!" Zack shoved the boy behind him, still facing the SOLDIERS. He didn't know what would happen now, but with his own life and Cloud's to protect, he sure as hell wasn't going down without a fight.

_It's my life_

_And it's now or never_

_'Cause I ain't gonna live forever_

_I just want to live while I'm alive_

_(It's my life)_

_My heart is like an open highway_

_Like Frankie said_

_I did it my way_

_I just want to live while I'm alive_

_It's my life_

_And it's now or never_

_'Cause I ain't gonna live forever_

_I just want to live while I'm alive_

_(It's my life)_

_My heart is like an open highway_

_Like Frankie said_

_I did it my way_

_I just want to live while I'm alive_

_Cause it's my life!_


	2. Part 2: Thank You For Loving Me

Author Never Shuts Up 

Li: Who wrote that? 

VoR: (snickers) 

Li: Roy, go hit him with your sword some. (Roy goes. Screams are heard) Well then, here's the second songfic of the two-shot. This one didn't turn out as well, I think... And yes, I know the part with Aerith is wrong. Gimme a break! I hadn't seen Last Order yet! My friend only showed me the beginning of the flashback and said Zack got shot. Period. Anyway, as the last one was Zackcentric, this is Cloudcentric. I still don't own FFVII or Bon Jovi. (Wow, if I could own them...) 

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Cloud sat alone in the room, beside the bed where Zack's body lay. The Shin-Ra SOLDIERS had gunned him down unmercifully. They had come over, looked at Cloud, and determined that he would probably die anyway. He must have looked a lot sicker than he was.

He had pulled Zack's bleeding form upright, helping his friend along, ignoring the older SOLDIER's protests to leave him and escape. He had dragged Zack's bloody self along, wandering Midgar's streets, since the passed-out Zack couldn't give him directions. Finally, he had run into a pretty girl in a pink dress. She recognized Zack, and introduced herself as Aerith Gainsborough. It was her house they were at now.

Aerith had tried every healing spell she had, but it hadn't been enough. And now Zack was gone. Cloud had never gotten to tell him thank you, for everything he'd done.

_It's hard for me to say the things_

_I want to say sometimes_

Cloud got up and closed the door. He didn't want Aerith to walk in on him. Tears formed in his eyes as he took Zack's cold, lifeless hand.

_There's no one here but you and me_

_And that broken old street light_

_Lock the doors_

_We'll leave the world outside_

"Zack..." Cloud's voice shook. "You didn't have to... You reckless idiot... Why did you die? You were the only one I had left..."

_All I've got to give to you_

_Are these five words when I_

Tears began to fall. "I miss you, Zack..." He thought back on all the times that Zack had helped him, over the years. From his first day at Shin-Ra, Zack had been there looking out for him.

_Thank you for loving me_

_For being my eyes _

_When I couldn't see_

He remembered when he had gotten hit on the head during practice, and had woken up blinded. He had been in a panic, but Zack had been there, helping him get through. That was when Zack had insisted he move out of the barracks and into his apartment. As Zack had said, "I need to look after you, chocobo-head." Zack had taken care of him.

_For parting my lips _

_When I couldn't breathe_

_Thank you for loving me_

_Thank you for loving me_

Or when Cloud had had an allergic reaction to something Zack had cooked. Cloud normally cooked, because Zack burned nearly everything, but the one time Zack cooked, he reacted to it. Hives were all over him. Itchy, yucky hives. Zack had sat there with him, holding his wrists so he couldn't scratch the hives. He had been sitting there, humming tunelessly, when Cloud had swayed and passed out. Zack had panicked, recalling from a Shin-Ra health manual that said hives could form in your throat, closing your air passage. Zack had given him CPR until the swelling went down. Cloud owed him his life several times over, and yet here Zack had died for him. He cursed his weakness, that he couldn't help Zack like Zack had helped him.

_I never knew I had a dream_

_Until that dream was you_

_When I look into your eyes_

_The sky's a different blue_

Zack had been special. It had taken one glance into his Mako-violet eyes to see that. He understood Cloud like no one else. He cared. No matter what kind of problem Cloud had been having, Zack's cheerful personality could have it seem a lot better.

_Cross my heart_

_I wear no disguise_

_If I tried, you'd make believe_

_That you believed my lies_

Zack always asked after him. When he asked if Cloud was okay about not making it into the SOLDIER exams, Cloud had lied, saying it was okay and didn't matter. Zack had pretended to believe him, even though he knew that Cloud was hurting. But in time, it wasn't a lie anymore. Cloud was okay with it, because he got to stay with Zack. He loved Zack like a brother.

_Thank you for loving me_

_For being my eyes_

_When I couldn't see_

_For parting my lips _

_When I couldn't breathe_

_Thank you for loving me_

_You pick me up when I fall down_

_You ring the bell before they count me out_

_If I was drowning you would part the sea_

_And risk your own life to rescue me_

"You didn't have to die for me! Why did you leave me here?..." Cloud sobbed, clutching Zack's hand like it could bring him back. If he shed enough tears, Zack would come back. He'd sit up, and laugh, and say it was all a giant joke. But Cloud knew that that was a dream. Zack was gone, and could never come back.

_Lock the doors_

_We'll leave the world outside_

_All I've got to give to you_

_Are these five words when I_

The door opened slowly, and Aerith slipped inside. She pried Cloud's numb fingers from Zack's hand, hugging the blonde boy tight.

"It's okay to cry, Cloud. It doesn't mean you're weak. It means you're human." she whispered. Cloud sobbed into her shirt, not seeming like he was twenty-one anymore, but the sixteen-year-old he had been when Hojo captured them.

"He was my best friend... My only friend..."

"I know, Cloud. I loved him too. He thought of you as a brother. Always remember that. Live, for him. He gave his life for you to live yours. Don't waste it."

_Thank you for loving me_

_For being my eyes_

_When I couldn't see_

_You parted my lips_

_When I couldn't breathe_

_Thank you for loving me_

_When I couldn't fly_

_Oh, you gave me wings_

_You parted my lips_

_When I couldn't breathe_

_Thank you for loving me_

Cloud knew Aerith was right. He decided he needed to live. It was what Zack would have wanted. He'd live their dream of being mercenaries, and hold on to the memories of the one he called his brother. Forever.

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VoR: God, that ending sucked. 

Li: For the last time, shut up! (smiles innocently at readers) Review? Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaase? 


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